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Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to fame in the 1970s for his role in the children's television series The Electric Company. In 1971, when he joined the show, Freeman was 34 years old. He played various characters on the show, including Count Dracula, Marcello, and Easy Reader. The Electric Company was a significant step in Freeman's early acting career, providing him with financial stability and recognition among American audiences.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Morgan Freeman's age when starring in The Electric Company | 34 years old |
| Year of Morgan Freeman's birth | 1937 |
| Year Morgan Freeman starred in The Electric Company | 1971 |
| Morgan Freeman's character in The Electric Company | "Easy Reader" |
| Other characters played by Morgan Freeman in The Electric Company | "Count Dracula", "Marcello", and "Mel Mounds" |
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What You'll Learn
Morgan Freeman was 34 when he joined The Electric Company in 1971
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is known for his distinctive voice and has narrated several documentary projects. Freeman's career spans six decades, and he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Freeman joined the cast of the children's television show "The Electric Company" in 1971. At the time, he was 34 years old. "The Electric Company" was a puppet-based show that used sketch comedy to present educational content for elementary-aged children. Freeman's audition for the show showcased his versatility as he went over-the-top in his performance, captivating the silly nature of the show.
"The Electric Company" was an important step in Freeman's career. While he felt his career was somewhat grounded before landing this role, the show provided him with financial stability and recognition among American audiences. It showcased his skills in interacting with puppets and animated characters, and his performances made a lasting impact. Freeman played various characters on the show, including "Mel Mounds," "Easy Reader," "Count Dracula," and "Marcello."
Freeman's work on "The Electric Company" set him up well for future success in movies and TV shows. While he quit the show in 1975 because he found it tiring, it remains one of his most well-known TV roles. The show was cancelled in 1976, and Freeman went on to pursue his dream of appearing in feature films.
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The Electric Company was a children's educational TV show
The Electric Company was an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The show aimed to teach elementary school children basic phonetic and grammar concepts, as well as reading skills, through the use of sketch comedy, songs, and cartoons. It also featured Spider-Man episodes, with Marvel Comics granting permission to use the character for free.
The series aired on PBS from October 25, 1971, to April 15, 1977, with 780 episodes over six seasons. A preview special, "Here Comes The Electric Company," was aired on local commercial stations the week before its debut. The show was directed by Robert Schwarz (1971 and 1977), Henry Behar (1972–1975), and John Tracy (1975–1976), and written by Dooley, Christopher Cerf (1971–1973), Jeremy Stevens (1972–1974), and John Boni/Amy Ephron (1972–1973).
The Electric Company had a talented cast, including already-famous Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno, as well as young up-and-coming actors and comedians such as Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder. One of the most notable cast members was Morgan Freeman, who was 34 years old when he joined the show in 1971. Freeman played various comedic characters, often interacting with puppets and animated characters. He portrayed roles such as "Easy Reader," "Count Dracula," "Marcello," and "Mel Mounds."
A reboot of the original series was aired in 2009, titled "The Electric Company" on PBS Kids Go! from January 19, 2009, to April 4, 2011, with reruns continuing until August 31, 2014. This new series received generally positive reviews and won several Daytime Emmy awards, including three consecutive Outstanding Children's Series trophies.
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Morgan Freeman played multiple characters on the show
Morgan Freeman was 34 years old when he played various characters on the children's educational TV show "The Electric Company". The show aired from 1971 to 1977, and Freeman was a regular cast member from 1971 to 1975. He played multiple characters on the show, including "Easy Reader", "Count Dracula", "Marcello", and "Mel Mounds". In addition, he also played an evil scientist in the "Mad Scientist" sketch and a game show announcer named Ken Kane in the "Wild Guess" segment.
"The Electric Company" was a sketch comedy show aimed at helping elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills. It featured a talented cast, including already famous actors like Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno, as well as up-and-coming actors and comedians like Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder. Freeman's audition performance was reportedly "over-the-top" and zany, which landed him the role.
Freeman's distinctive voice, which has since become one of his trademarks, was already evident during his time on "The Electric Company". This can be observed in his portrayal of characters like "Easy Reader", a character known for his love of reading. In one scene, he proclaims, "Nobody reads anymore." Interestingly, Freeman's work on the show was tiring for him, and he has even stated that he loathed appearing in it, calling it "a very unhappy period" in his life.
Despite his feelings about the show, Freeman's role in "The Electric Company" gave him financial stability and recognition among American audiences. It helped launch his career in television and film, and he has since gone on to receive numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
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The Electric Company was cancelled in 1976
Morgan Freeman was 34 years old when he joined the cast of "The Electric Company" in 1971. Freeman played various characters on the show, including "Easy Reader," "Count Dracula," "Marcello," and "Mel Mounds." He was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee, and began his acting career in school plays in Mississippi.
"The Electric Company" was cancelled in 1976, with the final season airing in 1977. The show was a children's educational TV program that used sketch comedy and animation to teach elementary school children reading and grammar skills. It was produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the same producers behind "Sesame Street." Despite its success in the classroom and two Emmy awards, the show struggled to generate merchandise revenue. This was in stark contrast to "Sesame Street," which successfully licensed its Muppet characters for merchandising.
The show's cancellation was due to limited funding and the need to choose between "The Electric Company" and "Sesame Street" as a revenue generator for CTW. Veteran television producer Samuel Gibbon, who worked on the show, stated that the PBS stations and statewide networks that aired the show often complained about the Children's Television Workshop "soaking up so much money in public television."
The Electric Company was considered a success, with a 1977 report by the Educational Testing Service stating that the program had a "clear and significant impact" on its target audience of second-grade children who were struggling with reading. However, the show's impact on improving reading skills did not translate into merchandise sales, and it ultimately could not compete with the revenue-generating potential of "Sesame Street" and its Tickle Me Elmo toy.
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Morgan Freeman quit the show in 1975
Morgan Freeman joined the cast of the PBS children's television show "The Electric Company" in 1971. At the time, he was 34 years old. Freeman played various characters on the show, including "Count Dracula," "Marcello," and "Easy Reader." He also interacted with puppets and animated characters.
Despite the show's success, Freeman found the work tiring and quit in 1975. In fact, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney reported that Freeman loathed appearing on "The Electric Company," calling it "a very unhappy period in his life." Freeman himself later acknowledged that he doesn't think about his time on the show, but he is grateful to have been a part of it.
After leaving "The Electric Company," Freeman took a short career break before returning to work in 1978 with two stage productions: "The Mighty Gents," for which he won a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award, and "White Pelicans." Freeman's decision to leave "The Electric Company" in 1975 may have been influenced by his desire to pursue more challenging roles and advance his career towards his lifelong goal of appearing in feature films.
Freeman's career took off after his departure from "The Electric Company." He went on to star in numerous films, including "Street Smart" (1987), "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), for which he won a Golden Globe, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), "Seven" (1995), and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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Frequently asked questions
Morgan Freeman was 34 years old when he joined the cast of The Electric Company in 1971.
Morgan Freeman was a part of The Electric Company from 1971 to 1975 or 1976.
Morgan Freeman played various characters in The Electric Company, including "Easy Reader", "Count Dracula", "Marcello", and "Mel Mounds".
While The Electric Company provided financial stability and recognition for Morgan Freeman, he loathed appearing on the show. He felt that it did not help advance his career and that it was a "very unhappy period" in his life.
